Hot Wheels 2001 - Collector # 119/240 - Sho-Stopper - Red with Yellow Stripe - 'Seared Tuner' on China Base - USA Card

Hot Wheels 2001 - Collector # 119/240 - Sho-Stopper - Red with Yellow Stripe - 'Seared Tuner' on China Base - USA Card - MPN 50649

Wiki says: The Seared Tuner was originally introduced in the 2000 First Editions line-up with the name Sho-Stopper. On the interior piece of this casting is a set of 4 speakers cast into the interior piece. This casting features a chopped roofline, widened bodywork, driver's side air intake on the bonnet, dual exhaust pipes (molded into the base) and heavily modified grille and bumper. From 2005, the casting was retooled with the plastic insert on the side removed.

This casting is among the first widely released imported Tuner-type models. The car was also featured on Hot Wheels packaging from late 2000 to 2003. Eric Tscherne says that the car was inspired by numerous tuner cars of the late '90s; not long after first drawing the car, he purchased a Mitsubishi Eclipse, with some lines from said car making it over to this model. The design is also said to be mostly inspired by a Wings West Aggressor-style bodykit.

Intended to be "the top of the tuner foodchain", the Seared Tuner is fitted with an AWD drive system and a 2.0L turbocharged inline-4.

Name Change
The name was originally "Sho-Stopper", but it was changed to "Seared Tuner" after legal challenges arose. Over a year after it's First Editions release, Another toy company producing a line of dolls called "Show-Stoppers" confronted Mattel, which had the trademark to the name. Mattel changed the name to "Seared Tuner" (which is a pun on "seared tuna") to prevent further legal issues.